A Muslim woman in the U.S., who was forced to remove her hijab when she was in police custody has been awarded Dollars 85,000 as a settlement by authorities.The incident happened a year ago when Kirsty Powell and her husband were pulled over by police for driving a "lowrider" auto, according to the lawsuit.

Local news website ABC7 reported she had three outstanding warrants against her name, which have since been cleared.

Kirsty Powell was stopped by police officers with her husband in 2015 as he was driving a lowrider vehicle.

Despite explaining her hijab's religious significance, Powell alleged that the head covering was forcibly removed by a male officer during her arrest, and not returned to her until she was released from jail the following day.

The Muslim woman who wears her hijab for religious reasons was forced to stay the night in jail feeling exposed. Powell filed a lawsuit against the police department in 2016, claiming that she had been compelled to remove her headscarf, which was a violation of her First Amendment rights.

"As a result of the foregoing deprivations of the free exercise of her religion, Powell suffered severe discomfort, humiliation, and emotional distress", the lawsuit stated.

Female officers are now required to remove headscarves, away from male officers and inmates, and only "when necessary for officer safety", Long Beach assistant city attorney Monte Machit told the Los Angeles Times.

A California city has agreed to pay $85,000 (72,000 euros) to settle a lawsuit filed by a Muslim woman whose hijab was forcibly removed by the police.

Long Beach voted Tuesday to approve the settlement, CAIR said, adding that nearby communities have already adopted policies protecting religious headwear in detention following similar lawsuits.

"We commend Kirsty Powell for choosing to defend her right to religious freedom and taking action".

Powell had told the council that she wanted to be the last Muslim woman who has this experience.